Which item is listed as a warning sign of trouble when dealing with clients?

• A. Providing advice instead of information
• B. Scheduling showings without client consent
• C. Asking for a commission split without authorization
• D. Failing to disclose marketing data after the sale

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is maintaining professional boundaries by providing objective information rather than steering the client with personal guidance. In real estate, you want to equip clients with facts—comps, market trends, financing implications, timelines, risks—and then discuss what those facts mean for their decisions. When someone shifts from sharing data to giving direct advice or telling the client what to do, it signals a boundary issue: the agent may be pushing a preferred outcome, could be biased, or might be trying to control the decision rather than support the client’s autonomous choice. That loss of objectivity is a trustworthy warning sign of trouble in the client relationship.

Other behaviors described (scheduling showings without consent, asking for an unauthorized commission split, failing to disclose marketing data after the sale) are serious red flags too—they indicate issues with consent, ethics, or disclosure—but they revolve more around contract terms or operational conduct rather than the fundamental shift from information to guidance. The step of offering prescriptive advice, instead of presenting data and options, most clearly undermines client autonomy and professional integrity, making it the strongest warning sign.